Husband and wife grow together with their feet in the sand and hands in the air

An evening of “fun in the sun” for Jackson couple Jerry and Jackie Guynn usually consists of blaring whistles, sweaty palms full of sand and plenty of competitive fun-loving camaraderie that would never have been feasible seven years ago.

But with patience, Jackie, a high school volleyball player at Hanover-Horton High School until 2000, taught her husband the tricks of a game he had never played. Nowadays, the duo spends much of their summer playing and refereeing volleyball in the 4-on-4 sand volleyball leagues at Hudson’s Classic Grill.

One of the two co-ed squads they partner on lost in the semifinals of the spring session playoffs on Monday, but their other co-ed squad and Jackie’s women’s team are still in the hunt for titles. The spring session playoffs are this week, with the summer league session getting under way Sunday.

On Tuesday, the couple stood roughly 50 feet apart, donning sunglasses and shorts, as they refereed contests in other divisions.

“We pretty much just know that when May gets here this is where our life goes for summer,” Jackie said. “It’s just something we’ve come to look forward to … we get to get outside, we get to get some fresh air and it’s like you’re in a whole different place.”

They are also looking forward to the nine-week summer session of leagues Sundays through Thursdays — with a new men’s “king of the beach” league on Fridays — under the guidance of volleyball coordinator Bill Barone.

Barone said a league-record 105 teams participated in the spring and people like the Guynns are a big reason why he’s been passionate about the league since its inception in 2000.

“This is one sport people can intermingle together, men and women, and make it good,” he said. “It’s what it’s all about out there. They’ve developed their relationship a lot out here.”

For Jerry and Jackie, there were several obstacles to clear in learning they could enjoy the sport together.

For one, Jackie grew up playing the sport and Jerry was a football and basketball player.

After watching Jackie every week during their first year of marriage, Jerry decided he wanted in on the fun.

“I was a little hesitant at first because it’s a little intimidating — I had never played volleyball, for one, and honestly it’s a lot harder than it looks,” he said. “After a couple of years of pain you catch on, and watching other players play helps a lot. Once you get it down, it’s a lot of fun.”

He said getting the timing down has been the most difficult part, but the Hudson’s leagues have been perfect because he’s been able to work his way up through divisions of increasing skill levels.

“At first it was a little tough (when we played co-ed) together because I’m really competitive,” Jackie said.

But Jerry said his wife tutored him on the finer points of “setting, passing and hitting” in the backyard during the “painful early years” of his development and he encourages others to stick with the sport if they are getting up to speed.

“It’s really cool to see people grow over a couple years, and I’ve had people come up to me and say,‘You’ve gotten a lot better,’” he said.
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As published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on July 13, 2011